As much as the younger me would hate to say it, sometimes the brain just needs a little break from the bombardment of all things heavy. Maybe it’s a ‘getting old’ thing? But when that happens, Read more […]
The quest to keep slamming brutal death metal from being a tedious affair is one that is ongoing. Some bands have had more success with it than others, and some recognize the genre’s faults from the Read more […]
Even as the year ends, there is plenty of metal to devour for those who are willing to seek out new efforts. Signed to Art Gates Records following their independent Harmony of Chaos EP in 2013, Injector Read more […]
Tis the season at this point, that season being the cold harsh land of winter. What better to celebrate than with some fitting black metal? Sarvekas are a new 2-man act from Finland, and Of Atavistic Read more […]
Composing songs over the past five years, Finnish melodic heavy metal band Chalice have been slowly establishing themselves – releasing a 2017 demo and three-song seven-inch follow up “Silver Cloak” Read more […]
Celebrating the 30th anniversary as a group, it’s a rare feat in the music landscape, never mind metal realm, to document. French death/thrash unit No Return have done so, and thus we end up with Live Read more […]
A Teutonic force since the 1980’s, Squealer probably gained most relevance during the late 90’s/early 2000’s through albums like The Prophecy, Made for Eternity and Under the Cross. Former singer Read more […]
Sombria is a new act in the gothic metal scene, with Chirographon Dei being the band’s first offering to the public. Spearheaded by vocalist Valentina Devin and guitarist Raven Seven, who have worked Read more […]
Many musicians feel prolific when it comes to their songwriting duties – so much so that they need more than one outlet to express all their ideas. Such has been the case for Belgian guitarist Dushan Read more […]
Ann My Guard’s third full-length, Moria, left a favorable impression in its ability to bring a darker and more gothic feeling into a symphonic metal release. Earlier this year, the band dropped a standalone Read more […]
Established as a premiere power metal act globally, Iron Savior returned rather quickly from last year’s vibrant Kill or Get Killed effort with Skycrest. Vocalist/guitarist Piet Sielck behind the scenes Read more […]
The problem inherent with a lot of slam bands is when they revel in excesses (much like other genres). It may sound ridiculous, but sometimes bands can actually be too heavy. It starts to come across Read more […]
It’s always exciting to hear musicians with well-established metal credentials unite in a new band. Such is the case for Veil of Secrets – Asgeir Mickelson best known for his work in Borknagar, Ihsahn, Read more […]
Profanity came back with a bang after a lofty absence with 2017’s The Art of Sickness. The band managed to bring back a genuine ‘90s flavor to their death metal, while upping the technical aspects Read more […]
With COVID-19 and quarantine demolishing the live scene for musicians, we are seeing more bands get creative as to how they are staying active in the community. Live streams and the such are becoming Read more […]
Lots of extreme metal bands open up an album with a movie sample. Many dip into classic horror and science fiction. But how many bands do you know of that have opened with a clip from Dumb & Dumber? Read more […]
Deciding to craft a record almost like a ten-episode television series arc isn’t surprising to this scribe – especially when you look at how bands these days work on bold/ambitious concept albums. Read more […]
For the most part, when one first things about death metal bands hailing from Indonesia (or eastern locales in general), the thought immediately goes into slamming or uber brutal death metal. There’s Read more […]
There’s something just remarkably fun and engaging about watching Irish thrash act Gama Bomb grow album after album on their own accord. Signing a new label deal with Prosthetic Records for their seventh Read more […]
Clearing out the end of the year stuff means wading through a pile of death metal releases for this scribe. There’s always a lot, but it also means that one can be more picky about what to cover. With Read more […]
Swedish symphonic power metal act Majestica, led by vocalist/guitarist Tommy Johansson (Sabaton), return after their debut original record Above the Sky with their Christmas album A Christmas Carol. Taking Read more […]
Slamming/brutal death metal with some technical edges catch your interest? If so, Carnal Abhorrence are here to dish out plenty of musical devastation. The Crowned Apocalypse is the second full-length Read more […]
Overhauling the lineup that recorded their 2018 self-titled EP, Sylent Storm return for their full-length debut in The Fire Never Dies. Vocalist/drummer Jym Harris dropped his kit duties to remain as the Read more […]
For those not in the know, Asmodina was the starting point for Angela Gossow, who of course became rather well known for her stint as Arch Enemy’s vocalist (and now manager). Asmodina was the first Read more […]
Cyperus epic power metal band Arrayan Path returns for their eighth studio record, The Marble Gates to Aperion. Following up a sprawling double album Archegonoi, these nine songs aren’t necessarily under Read more […]
Formed by Aaron Dallisson (Keelhaul) and Matt Sorg (Ringworm) at the onset of COVID-19 earlier this year, Perdition Sect’s goal was to provide fun abrasive tunes in the style of Discharge that addressed Read more […]
Fortuitous times for Fates Warning these days. Both the John Arch and Ray Alder periods of the band have received accolades as of late – the former celebrating the 30th anniversary of Awaken the Guardian Read more […]
As 2020 winds down to a close, so too does Grimgotts EP trilogy of Tales, Sagas, and Legends. This being Legends of course, and it is rounded out by another four tracks of fun and high-flying power metal. Read more […]
Featuring ex-members of Annihilator and Testament in their ranks, Canadian thrash act Wreck-Defy are a speedy band when it comes to releasing material. Powers That Be is the group’s third full-length Read more […]
In celebration of 30 years of existence (not to mention signing with new label Transcending Obscurity), Wombbath delivers a mixture of both new and old with Tales of Madness. With previous effort, Choirs Read more […]
